State College Preview- Ouachita Baptist

Senior-laden Tigers loaded for title run

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette /CHRIS DEAN - 11/01/08 - Ouachita Baptist coach Todd Knight shouts to players against West Alabama at A.U. Williams Field in Arkadelphia.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette /CHRIS DEAN - 11/01/08 - Ouachita Baptist coach Todd Knight shouts to players against West Alabama at A.U. Williams Field in Arkadelphia.

Three losses, each more frustrating than the previous, were all that kept Ouachita Baptist from its second Great American Conference title in three seasons.

There is no reason to think Coach Todd Knight’s Tigers won’t be right there again.

“We have 20 seniors returning,” said Knight, who is entering his 16th season at OBU. “These guys have never had a losing season. They’ve won a conference championship [in 2011]. They realize what it takes.”

The Tigers opened the 2013 season 5-0 before things began to unravel in heartbreaking fashion:

  • Against Harding, OBU took the lead with 1:56 remaining but allowed the Bisons to complete a 74-yard touchdown pass 44 seconds later in a 36-33 loss.

  • Two weeks later against Southern Arkansas, the Tigers pulled within 31-23 on a touchdown with 5:39 left. But OBU never regained possession as SAU grinded out the clock.

  • The most devastating loss came in the season finale two weeks later against cross-street rival Henderson State. OBU forced overtime on Matthew Ehasz’s field goal on the final play of regulation, but the Tigers lost 60-52 in three overtimes.

A 7-3 final record left the Tigers in third place in the final GAC standings, but they were also just a few plays away from a championship trophy.

“Football comes down to one or two plays, and our guys realize that you’ve got to make that play in a critical situation,” Knight said. “A couple times last year, we didn’t do it. You talk about it and look at it. These guys know it’s a new year, and we’re excited about making those plays.”

The Tigers return nine starters on offense and seven on defense, and most of the names are familiar to those who follow Arkansas high school football.

“We’ve got 11 starters on offense that are all Arkansas high school football players, and five or six on defense,” Knight said. “We’re proud of that.”

The two offensive players who are not returning starters — running back Steven Kehner and quarterback Kiehl Frazier — might be the Tigers’ fiercest weapons. Kehner, a 5-8, 195-pound senior from Glen Rose, was named second-team All-GAC last year after rushing for 614 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Frazier, who led Shiloh Christian to three consecutive state titles in 2008-2010, transferred to Ouachita in January after spending three seasons playing at Auburn.

Frazier, 6-3, 218, was a Parade All-American and was USA Today’s national offensive player of the year after his senior season at Shiloh Christian. He had an up-and-down career at Auburn, the highlight coming in a victory over Virginia in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl when he rushed for two touchdowns.

Knight said transitioning from Division I programs to Division II can be difficult, but he said he has seen no reason why Frazier’s adjustment would be exceptionally difficult.

“Kiehl had one brother who played in our league at Harding. He’s got another brother here who’s an offensive guard for us [Jed Beach],” Knight said. “He knows the league. He knows how good it is. … He was excited about coming here and getting a fresh start and a chance to start again at quarterback.

“The thing about him is, he came here wanting to be a part of us. That’s very critical. This league does get a lot of Division I transfers and about half those guys make it. It’s really all about attitude, and Kiehl’s got a great attitude. He’s a Ouachita Tiger now.”

The Tigers return four of their top receivers from a year ago, led by Jonesboro’s Kevontae Pope, who had 45 catches for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns as a freshman. Pope is joined by Conway senior Jalen Jones (36-414-3), Van Buren senior Drew White (33-409-5) and Pulaski Robinson junior Evian Hill (20-256).

Ty Towers, a junior from Star City who earned second-team all-conference honors in 2012 at quarterback, also figures to contribute at receiver. He missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury.

An experienced offensive line returns intact: Juniors Mike Russell, 6-4, 295, of Russellville, and Javin Prunty, 6-2, 280, of Jonesboro, at tackle, with seniors Michael Rogers, 6-0, 285, of Little Rock Catholic, and Brent Calhoun, 6-2, 280, of Des Arc, at guard and Aaron Sprinkle, 6-2, 285, of White Hall, at center.

Senior all-conference linebacker Gerald Warner, 5-10, 205, is one of the defense’s leaders. Senior safety Zack Mitchell, 6-0, 185, of Vilonia, and senior cornerback Etauj Allen, 5-9, 185, also earned all-league honors last year.

Three starters return on the defensive front: Senior end Dave Fair, 6-3, 240, of Greene County Tech; senior nose guard Dion Young, 6-2, 280, of White Hall; and junior tackle Devin Ball, 6-3, 278, of Junction City.

Ehasz, who led conference kickers with 87 points last season, returns for his senior season.

“We’ve got a lot of seniors sprinkled all over the place, and boy, it really is important,” Knight said. “A lot of things still have to fall in place for us, but we like our kids.”

Conference coaches voted in their preseason poll that Henderson State, Harding and OBU would again battle it out for the league title. But Knight said he feels that the three others Arkansas schools — Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Tech — have reasons for optimism, as do the five Oklahoma schools.

“I know the coaches voted it like that, but I think it’s a pretty open race,” he said.

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